Washington State University has conducted its first-ever laboratory experiments on the New York Yankees' 'torpedo' bats, which were popular due to their unique shape and weighting. The researchers found that the design of these bats is similar to that of traditional ones. They created two maple bats with a torpedo-shaped barrel and used them to measure the return of energy to the ball by firing baseballs from an air cannon at a stationary bat. The team's findings will be presented at the International Sports Engineering Association conference in Pullman, Washington.